If the motor sounds like it's trying to turn, or is making a horrible noise, I'd say that the bushes aren't the fault. The motor *cannot* spin much at all if the the bushes are dead.

If the motor's spinning and not turning the belt, you *could* have collapsed bearings in the drum. We had the same problem and the drum had literally locked up... the motor was fine, but was spinning and gnawing at the belt.

Bushes are user-serviceable with a little help, and compared to the callout charge vs. Â£3-10 for bushes and an hour or so, it's a worthwhile plan!

I'm no expert, but I'm a keen DIYer and the amount of times I've sorted out a friends/family members washing machine successfully without hefty bills proves to me that it's worth having a go first.

i.e., my mother (who's a pensioner) got stung Â£45 (WITHOUT REPAIR) for a callout just to tell her she needed a new pump and filter assembly. On inspection, it was nothing worse than a 5p coin stuck in the filter.

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